Date, pecan and salted caramel puddings

Makes 8

200g pitted dates, finely chopped

1 tbsp bicarbonate soda

100g butter, softened

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

250g self-raising flour, sifted

125g pecans, chopped

1 cup salted caramel, heated to pouring consistency

1 Fuji fruit, thinly sliced for garnish

Add dates with 400ml water to a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add bicarbonate soda. Set aside to cool. Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Fold through the flour, then the date mixture. Mix in the pecans. Grease dariole moulds well. Drizzle a little salted caramel into the moulds. Then fill moulds with the date and pecan mixture. Place in a baking dish. Fill with warm water to come halfway up the moulds. Bake at 180C for about 20 minutes. To serve, unmould, top with a Fuji fruit slice and drizzle over a little more salted caramel as desired.